In 2010, I was laid off from my teaching job and unemployed for 26 very long months. I was one of more than 100,000 teachers across the United States who could not find a full-time teaching job because of severe budget cuts to education. With two young children, a dog, and a mortgage for a house I had just purchased, we made it through. Here is what you need to do to stay afloat:

Where to start…

Breathe.

• It is so important to be calm and not panic. You will have a lot of important decisions to make and you need a clear head to think things through. I recommend listening to Dr. Leaf’s podcasts about keeping our minds healthy.

File for Unemployment.

• You must file in the state where you reside. See more info HERE about government programs to help you. Unemployment insurance not only seeks to stabilize you but also the community. I was laid off one month after buying a house. Because of unemployment, I was able to continue paying my mortgage. The more families are stabilized, the better for the overall economy. 

Look at Where Your Money is Going.

• Cancel subscriptions or payments to things that you don’t need or aren’t vital. This is time to do a real honest accounting of what you’re spending money on and cut out what is unnecessary. Apply for low-income programs to cut costs on utilities. I qualified for a reduced rate for electric and gas bills. Read about how to save money on groceries HERE. Even the small things add up to big things.

Start Looking for a Job.

• Again, don’t panic but you should be looking at job boards, talking to friends and former co-workers, and applying for work. You never know – you may find a new job right away. If not, you will get your resume in tip-top shape and develop interviewing skills for when the right job comes along. During my season of unemployment, I went on dozens of interviews. So. Many. Interviews. Each time I did not get the job I was disappointed, but I also got better at the entire process. I applied for jobs nearly every day. I followed up after I submitted applications and sent follow up ‘thank you’ emails after going on interviews. My job was finding a job.

Side-Hustle!

• During my season of unemployment, I did a lot of mystery shopping, sold things online, took temporary substitute teaching jobs, and tutored students. We live in a side-hustle culture, so there are dozens of options available. Don’t get discouraged about taking a part-time or temp job that you don’t love. This is not permanent and you are just working to get by. Conversely, you may discover something new that you’re good at and find that life takes you down a new avenue you wouldn’t have considered before. Pat Flynn is an inspiring example of how being out of work can take your life in a new and wonderful direction.